


Mission Impossible

by Icedlemon (orphan_account)



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Justice League - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Secret Identity, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 15:22:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15709926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Icedlemon
Summary: In which the Justice League goes undercover.





	Mission Impossible

**Author's Note:**

> This has nothing to do with the movie.

Clark was about to type an article when his comm buzzed, making him forget what he was going to write. Staring at the blank word file in front of him, he let the comm buzz for a few more seconds before finally answering it.

"Kal! Meeting! Now!" Snapped Diana. 

Clark signed and rubbed his temples. "Can it wait? I'm starting an article and-"

"Just get the fuck over here." It was Bruce, and he was obviously annoyed.

"Look, guys, I'm not hearing anything, not even Calendar man."

"But do you hear Lex Luthor?"

"..." Straining his ears, Clark tried to pinpoint that characteristic drawl of his nemesis. "Yeah, he's in his lab right now. Why?"

"He's here. In the Watchtower."

Clark furrowed his brow in confusion. "But...I can hear him...oh wait," Clark perched his ears, concentrating on the Watchtower, and to his surprise, heard another Lex. "You're right! There's two of them now, but how...?" 

"That's why you need to come here, now."

"I'll be right there..." Logging off his computer, he muttered a lame excuse to Perry, ignoring the shouts of "Kent!" He dodged into an alley, changed, and took to the sky in a sonic boom.

~

The members of the Justice League were seated around the conference table in a perfect circle. Barry was tapping his fingers on the table in superspeed, annoying the heck out of Hal, who was slouched in his chair, yawning noisily every few seconds. Arthur, king of the seven seas, was busy criticizing the interiors of the Watchtower, on how it could add some "ocean elements". Victor, on the other hand, was on the verge of punching him in the face listening to his rants. Jonn the martian was seated calmly with a box of Oreos in his hands, smiling as if eating them will solve all problems.

Outside the circle, next to the main computer but not too close, was the mastermind Lex Luthor, strapped to a chair and looking downright irritated.

Never keeping his eyes off Luthor, Bruce checked the time. Clark should be here soon.

As soon as he'd formulated that thought, the doors whisked open, and Clark appeared in his seat in a trail of blue and red. Shocked by the sudden current of air, Barry almost fell off his seat. Arthur stopped his rant and sat down. Hal continued to slouch.

Bruce got up and stood next to Luthor. "I'm sure all of you know who this is."

Lex took this as a compliment and smirked.

"You were seen snooping around your lab just now. Care to explain?"

Lex gave a perplexed, if not nervous look to the leaguers. "My lab? Come on! I've been here all day now! Speaking of which, may I go now? I have an event at night and I'd hate to be late..."

Bruce ignored him and switched on the projector. A security image of Luthor's private lab appeared on the screen. The time was shown to be half an hour before the meeting. The man in the security footage looked just like Lex, walking around the lab and cursing every few seconds.

Lex stared at the screen, then snapped. "Who the fuck does he think he is!? Breaking into my precious lab like that! Let me go and fucking dismantle him..." He pulled at his restrains, but they wouldn't bulge.

Bruce turned back to the table, his expression unreadable. "Any hypotheses?"

"Maybe that was someone pretending to be him, and they broke in to get something? I don't know, some tech stuff? That lab is full of them." Barry suggested.

"Or they were looking for kryptonite. The different forms of it." Arthur snarled, shooting a hostile glare at Lex.

Clark pipped up. "But how did they do it? I mean, that guy has the same voice and heartbeat as the real Luthor."

"Maybe a disguise with heartbeat and sound modulators..." Bruce muttered to himself.

"...Or a shapeshifter..." 

On the mention of shapeshifting, all eyes turned to Jonn, who's munching on his Oreo calmly.

The martian shrugged. "Oh, come on, you know it's not me."

Suddenly, Bruce marched over to the computer and began typing furiously. After a minute, he turned back, his mouth set in a hard line.

"I just checked. Clayface is not in his cell."

"Clayface? That guy who shapeshifts?"

"Precisely," spinning back to type in the last few words, he continued, "one other thing. Joker's not in his cell as well."

Dead silence filled the room, even Lex has shut up.

"They must have planned this for a long time now, direct attacking won't help. He knows our every move." Bruce marched back to the table, and hissed under his breath, "why didn't I see this sooner?"

Clark stood up and gave his boyfriend a reassuring pat. "Hey, it's not your fault. No one could have anticipated the Joker."

"But I should have!" Bruce looked up and screamed in his face. 

"Alright, that's enough, boys. We need a decision." Tired of drama, Diana got up and pulled the two apart. "We need a way to find out what they're up to and stop them."

Barry's hand shot into the air. "I can find out! I'll come back a second later..."

Bruce rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I've told you. He anticipates everything."

"But you do as well!"

Rubbing his eyes, he groaned. "Not now."

Victor spoke up. "I could hack into their security cameras and find out what they're up to."

"But we still have to stop them," Diana said, "I think the wisest way is to go there ourselves and investigate, but not as the Justice League."

Bruce nodded. "Diana's right. They will be expecting the Justice League, not normal civilians. It could work."

Hal straightened his back for the first time in days. "Wait...you're saying we have to... go undercover?" 

Clark shrugged. "It's the best way."

"It's the only way." Bruce glared.

Slumping back into his seat, Hal frowned. "I don't know...maybe it'll work. Should be pretty fun, though."

Bruce stared at him as if the word was foreign. "Fun?"

"I don't mind. Going undercover." Barry said quickly, desperate to save Hal from Batman's wrath.

"Me neither," Arthur crossed his arms, "providing that there's no harassment of any marine animals of any kind."

"Why the heck will we harass fishes, Arthur?!" Hal yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I don't know, you land dwellers are unpredictable, after all."

"I'm fine with this arrangement," said Jonn.

"Me too," said Victor.

Diana nodded, then held her sword up in the air. "Everyone in favour, it's decided, then! We'll go undercover to expose this Clayface and Joker's evil plans and prevent it from ever happening!"

Barry clapped eagerly, but soon stopped when no one else joins in.

Diana put her sword down and pointed it at Lex, who flinched at the sharp blade. "As for the time being, we'll keep this scoundrel here to make sure he's not with them." And with a single hand, she grabbed him up, along with the chair, and marched out of the room.

"Well, let's go, then..." Clark said. Seeing stares from everyone, he turned to Bruce. "Uh, you lead the way."

He scowled, but ultimately agreed and headed off to the teleporting pads.

~

The team were now perched on top of a skyscraper overseeing Metropolis. Lexcorp tower was just at the periphery. 

Hal was getting impatient. "Alright, so, what's the plan? We go in and snoop around, then pray that no one finds out?"

"That's half of the plan." Victor was busy with his tech stuff, tapping furiously on his computer arm. "We'll also need someone inside. Someone to help us get in there."

"That's why we'll need to split up." Bruce emphasized.

"Not that he doesn't want to team up with you, GL." Clark added quickly, earning a Batglare.

Diana returned from where she has been surveying the city, and addressed everyone, "Here's the plan. Some of us go into Lexcorp as scientists and gather information. The others will hang out around Gotham, to be specific, the mobsters, to keep an eye on the other villains and Joker." She turned to Bruce, "Do you have anything to add?"

"Tomorrow is the interview day for Lexcorp, which gives us a chance to get people in there. The problem is-"

"You don't have to worry about that, Batman." Victor said, looking up from his computer. "We can get Jonn to impersonate one of the candidates."

Clark frowned. "But that's...ruining their career, and their future."

Bruce snorted, frightening the hell out of everyone. "They won't have any future in Lexcorp anyways. Don't worry, Kal. I'll give them a decent job in Wayne Enterprises after all this."

"Why there? I thought you hated that Wayne guy, Bats," Barry asked, "Plus, I agree with Supes. That's not nice."

"Well, do you have a better option?"

"Uh, guys, how about we just stick to this plan? It sounds alright to me." Hal yawned.

"I don't mind the impersonation part," Jonn said, "But how do interviews work? What should I do?"

"Just be on your comm and follow my instructions," Bruce said, "and pick out a decent suit."

Jonn nodded slowly and scratched his chin as if in deep thought.

"The next thing is going inside," Diana said, "We'll need people inside Lexcorp to act as detectives and planted agents to get the rest of us inside."

"I can do that!" Barry chimed, "I have experience with forensic sciences and detective work!"

"Barry, you're exposing your secret identity!" Hal hissed.

"And you just called me Barry. Genius."

Bruce cleared his throat. "So, Lantern will go with Flash. Arthur, do you mind going with them?" Seeing the Atlantian shrug, he continued, "Good. I just need you to keep them out of trouble."

Hal opened his mouth to retort, but soon decided against it. He wasn't in any hurry to die, after all.

"Lastly, Superman, Diana, Cyborg and I will go undercover in the Gotham underworld, acting as supporters. We'll tell you everything that we've found, and keep tabs on the criminals," said Bruce, "If there's no more questions, then we'll execute the plans tomorrow morning."

Hal raised his hand. "Just one question, Bats. How do we get inside?"

Bruce gave a Batsmirk. "It's just for a day, I'm sure you can figure out something."

Barry made a bunch of unintelligible noises.

Clark looked at his watch worriedly. "Uh, Batman? I should be going back to work now, or else Perry is going to kill me..." 

"Very well, then. Everyone gather at this spot at eight tomorrow morning. This meeting is over." And with a dramatic swirl, he leapt off the building and grappled away.

"Well, see you tomorrow, guys!" Clark smiled and flew away hurriedly. Victor and Diana also flew off soon after, and Jonn floated into space. Now only Barry, Hal, and Arthur were left on the building. 

Barry was the first to speak. "So, any ideas?"

"I could make an underground tunnel with my ring..." Hal groaned.

"That's like shouting to everyone that we're here, Hal. Your ring is too shiny, and we need to be low profile!"

"I have an idea," Arthur stated, "I can get us in via the toilets. They are connected to the oceans by these pipes, after all."

Hal stared at him as if he'd turned into an octopus. "Please tell me you're kidding, Arthur."

He continued as if he'd heard nothing. "Or, we can sneak in by pretending to be those party clowns. I can be a shark. You can be-"

Hal waved his hands in front of him frantically. "No! The toilet one is good. I'm absolutely fine with that."

"I'm with Hal," said Barry, "Just promise us that you'll drop us off in a decent toilet."

"Oh, don't worry," smirks Arthur, "I'm sure the toilets in Lexcorp can't be that bad."

"Fine..." Hal grumbles.

"I'm here to keep you guys out of trouble, after all."

"Oh, fuck you..." signed Hal, "I'm going. C'mon, Barry."

~

Time went by in a flash, and before anyone knew it, the day has come. 

Bruce checked the time with a scowl on his face. It was one-minute past eight, and Hal and Barry were late, as usual.

Clark yawned and stretched, feeling a couple of joints pop in satisfaction. Bruce had dragged him out of bed at four am to teach him a couple of undercover skills and techniques, none of which he remembered because he was too busy trying not to fall asleep.

Finally, after what seems like hours, Hal and Barry arrived in a floating green sphere. Bruce glowered at them, then frowned at the huge backpack on Hal's shoulders.

"We can begin. Everyone in position, our target will arrive in two minutes."

Hal and Barry followed Arthur to the harbour while he prepped them on the potential dangers of arriving in the toilets. For example, there's a chance they will run into killer croc or some kind of mutant shark on the way.

"Also, you'd better change. It's wet down there." He added.

"Oh, we came prepared." Hal said proudly, and opened the huge green backpack he'd been carrying, revealing a vault of swimsuits and pool items. "I even brought my Flash speedo, Barry!"

Blushing, Barry turned to Arthur. "Let's get this over with."

Back on the building, Victor has successfully located the target, a young man called Chris Wong. Nodding at Bruce, he took aim, and fired a sleeping agent at him. It was bull's eye. The man didn't even notice and fainted at the exact time which Bruce has predicted. In a hurry, they got the body into Alfred's car, which will then transport him back home. The next day, he will wake up as if nothing has ever happened.

Jonn stepped out of the alley as Chris. Straightening his tie, he walked towards the huge building of Lexcorp, feeling strangely confident despite walking straight into hostile grounds. This was where he has once been experimented on by Lex, after all.

Approaching the glass doors, he heard Bruce's voice in his comm. "See the Interview signs? Follow them."

"Alright." Walking across polished marble floors, he reached a corridor where the walls were painted impossibly white. The signs led to a single room at the end of the corridor.

"Good luck, Jonn. I'll be right here if you need me." 

"Just curious, Batman, but where are you?"

"I'm outside. As Bruce. To be specific, I'm hiding in the toilets. These people are so annoying."

Chuckling, Jonn began walking towards the office. When he opened the door, he was struck by a sudden feeling that this was a terrible mistake. But then, Lex's voice boomed from inside of the room, and he had to enter.

Stepping inside the room, he gave the imposter Lex a once over. He certainly look and act the part, even the obnoxious smile. Plastering a smile onto his own face, he sat down. 

"Well then, Mr Wong, let's begin, shall we?"

~

Bruce paced in the toilet. Jonn should be fine, though he hasn't received any calls just yet. Signing, he loosened his tie and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. The second he has stepped into the facility, he was surrounded by dozens of reporters from who knows where. Luckily, one of Lex's secretary rescued him before he was swept away, and he managed to slip into the toilet without anyone seeing.

Suddenly, one of the toilets flushed on its own accord, snapping him out of his thoughts, and switched to attack mode in an instant. Then, a person flew out of the bowl, crashing onto the floor and sliding across it for a few seconds.

Signing, Bruce retracted his Batarang. The man on the floor gave him a goofy smile before getting up, brushing his speedo.

Then, another toilet flushed. Taking the warning, Bruce ducked out of the way before another man came flying out, crashing into Barry. Cursing, he spent half a minute trying to tangle himself off the mass of swimming floaties. Tossing a rubber duck to the side, he got up, and lifted his scuba mask, peering at Bruce.

"Ah, sir, I'm sorry for the mess, you see, we, uh, are entertainers for an event later on, and..." Hal trailed off.

"We're rehearsing," finished Barry.

Rethinking all his life choices, Bruce whispered "Fuck's sake" under his breath and left the room, rubbing the space between his eyes.

"Well that was awkward."

"What's he doing here, anyways?"

"Why did you bring all these trashes, Hal?!"

"You always say I take things too lightly. Well, this time I came prepared!" Hal said triumphantly, waving a duck in the air. "Thanks to me, we didn't drown."

It was at times like this when Barry Allen started to seriously doubt his choice of a boyfriend.

Then, the last toilet flushed, and Arthur leapt out, landing on the floor with as much grace as you can have jumping out of a toilet. "We're in. So, now, we'll need a plan to go by unnoticed," said Arthur, studying Hal's getup with curiosity. 

"We can disguise ourselves as the cleaners here. They rarely get much attention," suggested Barry.

"And they can go wherever they want, great! I'll get them here," exclaimed Arthur, marching towards the exits, trident in hand.

"I... should we stop him?"

Hal snorted and leaned against the walls. "Nah, he probably won't kill them."

"Probably."

A few minutes later, Arthur stomped back into the washroom, three unconscious cleaners slumped over his shoulders. He threw them onto the floor and crossed his arms. "Well, I suppose we change."

Awkwardly, Barry began to strip one of them and changed into the loose-fitting uniforms of the sanitary workers. "What if one of them wakes up?"

"I gave them some pink jellyfish juice. Should keep them sleeping for half a day."

"Alright." Fitting a stained cap over his head, he turned to Hal, and found out that he hasn't even moved, let alone change. "Hal? What's wrong?"

He stared at the clothes, a look of pure disgust on his face. "I'm never wearing that."

"What?"

"I'm not wearing that! It's...yellow!"

"Oh my god, Hal. Just put on the fucking suit," Barry signed.

Hal gaped, "Did...you just swear?"

"Put on the suit!"

"But...it's so...yellow! What would the guardians say?" Hal whined.

"Nothing. They don't care. How about you wear green underneath? Does that make you feel better?"

"A bit, actually."

"Then do that. We have a mission to complete." Barry threw his green lantern speedo at Hal and adjusted his pants. 

"Alright." Smirking, Hal began pulling down his pants.

"Ohmygod Hal not here! Get inside a stall you idiot!" Shouted Barry, covering his burning face with his hands.

Still smirking, Hal got into a stall and shut the door. Arthur frowned.

"Such peculiar behaviour... is this what you land dwellers call "flirting""?

"Not exactly..." Barry signed.

~

Bruce stomped towards the exit, hurrying past the hordes of reporters and curious people. Hal is going to mess this whole operation up if not for Arthur. He made a mental note to ban him from going on any future league missions.

Finally, he was out. Still hurrying, he checked his comm link with Jonn. It was still offline. He called Victor.

"Cyborg, what do see on the security cameras?"

"No need to worry, Batman. Jonn and Clayface are still interviewing. By the looks of it, there shouldn't be a problem."

"All right, thanks," Bruce signed and slipped into an alley, where Clark and Diana were waiting.

"Everyone is here, let's go!" Diana held her sword in the air and yelled, "We'll stop their evil plans once and for all!"

"Wait, guys. I thought we are going undercover." Bruce stared at the two.

"Uh, yeah. So?" Clark asked, pushing up his glasses.

"You might consider disguising yourselves." Bruce said, "You know, in case someone recognizes you."

Diana stole Clark's glasses and put them on. "Will this work?"

Clark took a tattered jacket lying around and put it on. Then, noticing a cap near the bins, he picked it up and pulled it over his face, smiling triumphantly.

Bruce massaged his temples and whispered to himself, "Remember your training. Keep, calm."

Suddenly, Diana tore the cap off and began messing up Clark hair, until it became something like a bird's nest on his head. "That'll definitely fool them," she said.

"We don't have time for this. Let's go shopping for some undercover clothes." Bruce signed tiredly. "But first, let me put on my disguise first."

He leaned against the wall and took out some eye shadow from his pockets. After a few minutes, an older and grittier man who seemed as if he came straight out of the mobsters' lairs stood in front of them. Lastly, he took out a cigar and stuck a moustache onto his face. 

Grinning at the two, he drawled with an obnoxious accent, "Good day, people. The name's Malone. Matches Malone."

Clark smiled sheepishly at Diana. "You will get used to it after some time."

She looked curiously at the makeup box. "I never put on that stuff, but it looks interesting."

"Alrighty, gang, let's get going!" With a dramatic swirl, he put on a pair of sunglasses and began to march away. 

"Bruce, are you sure we have to do this?" Clark whispered.

"Who's Bruce? He sounds amazing." 

He coughed, "Forget I asked."

The trio reached a tiny mall on the outskirts of the streets. It looks thoroughly abandoned and depressing, the shops were open, but no one was inside except for the sleeping cashiers.

Diana quickly moved to an ice cream stall at the corner. Bruce shook his head. "They're probably laced with germs and parasites and taste horrible. Also, we have a mission to complete. "

Pouting, she returned to the group and crossed her arms.

"I'll get you ice cream after the mission." Bruce promised, "Let's pick out some clothes first."

They went into a shop where all the clothes looked like they were designed for tramps. The jackets were either dark brown or murky green, and the jeans were all loose fitting and dusty.

Clark picked out a red cap and turned to Bruce. He shook his head.

"It's too red. You'll be sticking out like a flamingo."

"...But, I like flamingos."

Diana pulled out a tainted pearl necklace and grimaced. "Bruce, why is this yellow?"

After ten minutes of failing to get the perfect outfit, Bruce went ahead and grabbed a bunch of random clothing and stuffed them into Clark's and Diana's hands. He nodded towards the changing rooms. 

"Go ahead and try those on."

Clark inspected the pile, wrinkling his nose. "These smell funny, B. Also, I'm pretty sure these are three sizes larger."

"That's the point," Bruce signed impatiently, "Now get in there and change."

After a while, Diana emerged from her cube, dressed in a tattered green hoodie and a pair of sweat pants which original colour is a mystery. She jumped in her sneakers.

"These are very comfy," she commented with a huge smile, pleased with her getup.

Seconds later, Clark came out as well, looking extremely awkward in his brown sweater and baggy pants. Furiously, he began to scratch his back.

Bruce studied his friends' getup with a frown, then brushed Clark's hair to the front like a curtain, then stood in front of him, scrutinizing his look. Clark shifted under his gaze.

Finally satisfied, he dropped a generous amount of cash at the front desk, and swayed out, smoking his ridiculous cigar. "These should do. Come on."

Almost tripping over his pants, Clark followed. Diana trailed behind, looking as if she could take on the whole universe with her new sneakers.

~

Hal, Barry and Arthur were now deep in the labyrinth of Lexcorp. Arthur was right, disguising themselves as sanitary workers means that no one even batted an eye at them, and asked no questions whatsoever. They were free to roam wherever they want.

Hal pushed at his trolley, which carried buckets of water for cleaning and a variety of mops and towels. Suddenly, Arthur groaned loudly, causing the two to jump.

"We're covering too little ground! We have to split up, or else we're never going to finish the mission!" He growled.

"Um, all right, I'm with Barry." Hal said, inching next to him.

Arthur glowered at them as if they'd just went fishing.

"Fine! I'll go this way, then," Hal said, sulking back the way they'd came and leaving the trolley behind. "You guys take this. See ya later."

"I'll take it," Barry signed and turned it around, making the wheels squeak in protest. 

Hal strolled down the white corridors, feeling downright bashful. Batman has told them not to use their powers just to be safe, but it's getting unbearable for him.

Facing the wall, he formed an x-ray goggles with his mask. It should help with the searching. A second later, alarms started to blare, and the corridors flashed red with warning. Cursing under his breath, he stuffed the ring into his pocket, causing the green goggles to evaporate into thin air.

At the end of the corridor, the sounds of shouting and feet hitting the floor were getting closer. Taking a deep breath, Hal swirled around to find something to clean up. His gaze fell on a single speck of dust on the floor, so he bent down, praying to every god he knew.

The security officers went right past him as if he were invisible.

Heaving a sign, he got up, and bolted.

After running for a few blocks, he reached a lab. The signs outside read "Do not enter", which only adds suspicion. Cautiously, he opened the white doors and went inside.

The place was pitch black, so he turned on the lights, and came face to face with imposter Lex. 

"What are you doing here? This lab is restricted!" He frowned.

Racking his brain to come up with something, Hal stammered, "Mister Luthor, I... came here to check if you need any...cleaning up."

"We're fine here, thank you very much." Imposter Lex looked back at something, which Hal couldn't see because he was blocking it. "Now, please leave us."

Keeping his head low, Hal began to retreat. But as Lex started to go back, he caught a glimpse of what's back there. It looked like a giant projector mounted on a pillar, and there was someone else standing next to it. That someone looked familiar...

Imposter Lex slammed the door in his face, knocking some sense into his head. With a sudden realisation, he called Batman.

"Bats! This is GL. I think I found the lab!"

Batman sounded even gruffer than usual. "There are lots of labs in Lexcorp. Are you-"

"I'm absolutely one hundred percent sure. Imposter Lex and Chris are in there."

"Chris? You mean..."

"No, I mean Jonn, stupid... Don't worry. I think he's on to Lex, somehow. There was a cool gadget in there, and he's standing right next to it."

Batman paused, "And you think that the...cool gadget is what Clayface's after?"

"Yep."

"Do you see Joker?"

"Nnnope. Not yet."

"Alright, keep investigating. I'll call you back soon." The line went dead.

~

Jonn watched the imposter slam the door, rubbing his eyes. "I thought this place has one of the best quality of staff! That stupid idiot..." Muttering to himself, he switched off the lights once again.

Through his infra-red goggles, Jonn could see the projector clearly, sparkling with some mysterious energy from another dimension.

"Lex" yawned as if he could think of a million other things he could be doing right now. "Alright, let's continue. You know what to do."

Turning to the main computer, Jonn entered the code which will theoretically activate the projector. Instead of whirring to life, the keyboard sparkled, then the entire system died.

Furious, "Lex" circled the projector, kicking at it as if hoping to get a reaction out of it. Out of his line of sight, Jonn reached one of his legs into the computer, morphing it into a pair of scissors, and cut a few more wires. That'll keep him busy.

Pretending to repair the system, he called the Justice League.

~

Keeping their heads low, the trinity, now in disguise, zipped through the slums of the Gotham underworld. Soon, they were deep inside the mobsters' headquarters, inside the darkest side of Gotham.

Clark was still scratching his back with furious determination, earning stares. Huffing a sign, Bruce pulled him into the corner, flipped him around, and yanked up his sweater.

Blushing, Clark stammered, "Bru-what are you doing?"

Bruce dug into his coat and took out an unfolding chainsaw, placing the turning metal spikes on his bare back. As it found the spot, he signed in satisfaction.

After a while, Bruce pulled the sweater back down and yanked him back out. "Enough distractions, let's go."

Clark hurried along, bumping into people as he did, earning snarls. One even pulled out a knife and was about to stab him when Diana dragged him away.

Muttering "sorry" to no one in particular, he hissed. "What are we looking for again?"

"Leads, anything that looks suspicious." Diana replied.

"Also, the Joker. He's missing." Bruce growled.

Dodging yet another collision, Clark nudged his sunglasses and followed in silence.

Soon, they reached a pub. It was like any other pub in Gotham, noisy and bright, and filled with drunk people dancing around like rope being flicked randomly on the disco floor. Soundlessly, they entered.

Ambling towards the bar, Bruce plopped down onto one of the chairs and smiled lazily at the bartender. Diana sat down next to him and smiled pleasantly. Clark tripped over his pants and stumbled onto his seat.

"I'll have the usual, Bill. And two more for my friends here," Bruce drawled. The bartender, Bill, gave a non-existent nod and headed off to fill the drinks.

As his back was turned, Bruce whispered, "There's a lot of gossip in here. Keep your ears perched, especially you, Clark."  

Tired and wanting to go home, Clark nodded slowly. 

Their drinks arrived, three huge glasses of beer. Inspecting the pale-yellow liquid, Diana took a sip. As awe transformed her facial features, she sprang up in her seat and waved her finger at Bill like a sword. "This is amazing! You should be very proud of this achievement!" She announced, then finished the rest in a single gulp, bringing the glass down on the table with a huge bang. "More, please."

Nervously, Bill glanced at Bruce. "Her first time. Don't worry, it's all on me," Bruce said, chuckling good naturedly.

Bill returned later with another shot, and Diana finished it in a second. Poor Bill had to rush away to get another glass. Wiping her mouth on her sleeve, she sat down. "I feel so hot after drinking this stuff. I must introduce this to my fellow sisters! Their battle power will surely increase!"

"And have an entire island of alcoholics?"

"Well, I can't get drunk. So maybe she can't either." Clark added helpfully.

"Guys. We have a mission." Bruce said, desperate to get this over with. Suddenly, something near the television caught his eye, and he froze.

"It's Jack. What's he doing here..." he trailed off, and stood up, "Don't move and keep drinking."

Curious, Clark turned his head and saw Bruce slinking towards a green-haired man standing under the TV, a bouquet of smiley flowers in his hands. Upon seeing Bruce, he grinned, and Clark could see how red his lips were, it was as if he'd smeared blood as lipstick.

He was struck with a sudden realisation. That man was the Joker himself! Tensing up, he turned back to his drink, suddenly apprehensive. Although he knew that Bruce has everything under control, he was still frightfully worried. Forgetting entirely about his mission, he focused his hearing on his heartbeat and their conversation, ready to spring at the first sign of trouble.

After a minute, Bruce returned to his chair, and Clark could breathe again. Desperate for answers, he blurted, "You and Joker are friends?"

Bruce glared. "He likes me. I certainly do not. If anything, he likes Matches."

Pondering the new information, Clark nodded slowly.

"So, did you guys hear anything?" Bruce asked.

Diana quipped up. "Some fellows over there were talking about some new faces, and not just some new recruits. I mean, the way they're discussing was...exciting."

Bruce made a thoughtful sound and turned to Clark. "You?"

"Um...I heard the same thing as Diana."

"Alright, anything else?"

Diana started, "Also, they mentioned Clayface, about how he'll get all the loot, whatever that means."

Resting his chin on his fist, Bruce mulled over this for a few seconds before turning back to Clark, his eyes beckoning.

Clark's eyes darted all over the room. "...she said everything I wanted to say."

Frowning at him, Bruce turned to his drink as if in deep thought. Curious, Diana leaned in. "What is it?"

"Jack, or Joker, as you know him, told me to be prepared for a "helluva crime party" in a few hours. Whatever he's planning, it has to be connected with Clayface."

"A few hours? We don't have that much time!" exclaimed Clark.

Bruce looked him dead in the eye and took another shot. "Let's just hope that Hal and Barry have found a way in without using the toilets."

"...and if they didn't?"

"Then we switch to plan B, which is launching a full-scale attack on Lexcorp. But according to my calculations, the sucess rate of that is 0.3%."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, brooding and sipping from their cup in depression. The lights from the disco ball bounced off the walls and shone on them, as if to highlight their distress for the world to see.

Suddenly, their comms buzzed, snapping them back to reality. 

Jonn's spoke quickly as if he were in a hurry. "Guys. Listen up. I don't have much time, but Clayface has the phantom zone projector. I'll explain what that is later, but I can tell you that it can somehow release every villain that has once been trapped in there. There must be at least thousands, including those from other worlds and planets. I've managed to slow him down, but I need you guys to come help. Quick." And the line went dead.

Clark blanched. "The Phantom Zone Projector? But... that's in my fortress of..."

"He must have disguised as you to get in," Diana poked him.

Bruce left a generous amount of tips on the counter, sprang up, and barged towards the door. "Come on. Let's go."

He called Barry. "Flash! Did you find a way for us to sneak in yet?"

Over the comm, he could hear wet splashes of water and shuffling sounds. "Um, I'll get back to you in a sec, Batman. A bit busy right now," came Barry's rushed reply.

"What do you mean? We don't have time-" the line went dead. Heaving a sign, Bruce then proceeded to call Victor, but was stopped by Clark.

"I don't think he can hear you, he's gaming right now."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Yelled Bruce, storming towards the road and calling on his comm once again. "Alfred!"

~

Barry has always loved the aquarium since he was a child. Those multitudes of dazzling rainbow fishes which made him long to touch one. But now, touching them, made him a bit anxious.

The blue and grey tropical fishes in his hands wriggled and jumped, desperate to get back into the water. Speeding to the harbour, Barry released his load and dumped them all into the ocean, where Arthur has called Mera to by on standby to receive Atlantis' newest citizens. The flaming red hair of Mera bobbed to the surface, then disappeared as swiftly as it came, taking the fish with her. 

Heaving a sign, Barry ran back. He should never have let Arthur go the way of the aquarium. He'd gave one look at the sad fishes in the tanks, then said, "These fish are very unhealthy." The next thing he knew, he'd ordered them to be transported back into the ocean asap.

He crossed his arms, trying to look offensive. Arthur glanced at him, ignoring the message, then jerked his head. "Come on. There may be more down there."

Internally screaming, Barry sulked after him.

They reached another tank. This one has green fish in it. Arthur scrutinized at them and murmured, "Peculiar fish..." then proceeded to dig them out.

Arthur, being the king of Atlantis, relies on his fishy friends more than his human friends, so he'd never expect one of them to turn on against him. At the second his finger touched the water, one of the green fishes leapt up and bit down, drawing blood.

Roaring, he jerked back his hand. The fish continued swimming without a care in the world. "What the f..." trailing off, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, then with a soft groan, fell backwards onto the floor.

Freaking out, Barry stared at the fishes in terror, rooted to the ground. They seemed more mechanical than alive, now that he'd looked closely. Busy observing them, he never had the chance to hear who was creeping behind him, never had time to avoid the crushing blow to his head.

~

Hal whistled down the aisle. Life as a janitor has been pretty cool so far. He can go anywhere he wanted, and no one would question him. Waving a mop in the air, he danced ridiculously as if the world was his. Water from the mop flicked out and splashed onto the stainless walls of the corridor, leaving behind a yellow trail. 

Impulse, rather than paranoia, made him check his pockets. Instead of feeling a ring, he felt only his pockets. 

His heart stopped for a second. He checked again, patting his trousers furiously. There was nothing. His heart hammered in his chest.

A thin voice sounded from the back. "Looking for something?"

He twisted his head around, but before he could register the speaker, an excruciating pain exploded in the side of his head, and he blacked out.

~

The trinity stepped out of a luxurious limo parked in an alleyway, safely hidden from any prying eyes. Now they were back in their superhero suits, except for Diana, who just can't bear to get rid of her sneakers.

"Thanks, Alf." Bruce said, nodding minutely at the person inside the limo, whose eyes were shadowed by a black cap.

The figure nodded back and began to swerve the car back out. 

They made their way outside, landing on top of a building overseeing Lexcorp. At the first glance, they knew that something was wrong.

The original huge glass domes were now spray painted in green and purple and red. Gigantic smiley faces now decorate the building, their dripping effect making it look even more sinister. 

Bruce burrowed his face in his hand and groaned for twenty seconds straight. By the tenth second, Clark was already freaking out. Tired of everything, Diana slapped both hard on the back, then called the league.

"Guys? Did anyone find out a way to get in there? Hello?"

Bruce watched her intensely. "What?"

"None of them are responding..." Diana said, "something must be wrong."

"So much for going undercover," Clark signed, a dejected look on his face.

"We still have to do this!" Bruce insisted, throwing up his hands in the air. "Whatever. After this is all over I'm going to fire every single one of them."

"You can't just disband the league like that, B." Clark said.

"But they're incompetent!" Bruce screamed.

The sudden rose of volume caught attention from below, and two elderly women peered up at the heroes on the building.

"Ah, Mary. Say, isn't that the super man from tv?" One of the said, pointing upwards. 

Her companion studied them behind glasses. "Ah yes! And look! It's that wonder woman!"

Diana smiled and waved at the ladies.

"Ooh! And it's the Catman!" They exclaimed in unison, pointing at Bruce.

Clark could physically hear his blood pressure rising and saw him stomp out of sight. The old ladies have now begun to attract quite a crowd with their racket. Many dug for their phones to take pictures of the heros.

Clark shifted on his feet and smiled for the camera. A girl in the crowd screamed and fainted.

"So much for low profile..." Bruce groaned as he watched the security guards of Lexcorp rushing out, alerted by the commotion just at their doorstep. "Guys, we need to go!" 

Hastily, they followed him out, dodging the crowd, and reached a nearby park.

"That was close. Now, let's discuss our next mo-" The hoard came rushing over again, and the trio had to fly, or grapple elsewhere to avoid the fangirls and boys and reach privacy.

~

Back in the lab. Clayface was still busy repairing the phantom zone projector. Jonn stood at a distance, always on high alert and tampering with the systems every now and then.

Without warning, the front doors swung open, and in walked the Joker, Strolling in as though he owned the world, and dressed in what he'd called his "finest suit", so brightly purple and green that your eyes would hurt looking at it for too long. Tensing, Jonn tried to call the league, but that was impossible with Clayface and Joker watching his every move.

Grinning widely, Joker strolled towards Jonn. "So, you're the new friend Clay has talked about! Nice to meet you, I'm Joker!" He extended his arm towards him.

Jonn studied his palm and sleeves. They seemed normal, no hidden traps. Hesitantly, he shook his hand, and was immediately consumed by a ball of fire.

He screamed and stumbled back, unconsciously morphing back into his original form. Fire and heat were everywhere he could see. Piercing pain tore through his entire body, and he howled out in anguish and pain, clenching his head with his hands.

"Ohohohohehehee..." The Joker was chuckling madly, dancing around the burning martian in glee and rubbing his hands together. "You didn't check my shoes, did you? Green man? Hahahaha...!"

With the maniacal laughter ringing in his ears, Jonn fainted.

~

Now hidden in an underground sewer, Clark flew around in quick tiny circles in front of Bruce and Diana, agitated by how things were developing. According to their information gathered, they only had about half an hour. Bruce was brooding in front of a mouse, who stared back at him with interest. Diana leaned on a water pipe, crossing her arms and deep in thought.

Without warning, Bruce threw up his hands, scaring the mouse scuttling away. "We have no other option, let's do it the way Lantern does it."

Clark looked downright miserable. "Noooo, Bruce, I don't wanna," He whined.

Diana nodded in agreement. "That is completely unacceptable for an amazon. We fight with honour, and Hal's way will disgrace us all."

"Well, do you have another way?"

Looking down at her shoes, she said, "Hiding in plain sight. Didn't we just do that an hour ago?"

"That and this is different. We can't just waltz into Lexcorp like that," Bruce signed.

"Well, yeah. But since the real Lex isn't here, I figured that it would be easier," Diana said.

"But-"

Clark stopped circling at last. "I'm with Diana! I don't want to ruin my suit by going through the toilets!"

"Clark-"

Desperate to get this over with, Clark began making his way out. "Come on, Di." Happily, she swung her legs off the pipe and began to head out as well.

Crossing his arms, Bruce glowered at them. "What happens if I don't go?"

"Then I'm not coming over tonight!" Clark shouted, already outside.

Glaring for a few seconds, he eventually heaved a sign and gave up trying to argue, and trailed after him like he's about to murder him.

~

Groggily, Barry slid opened his eyes, and immediately felt like he was going to faint again. His head was feeling like a balloon on a fidget spinner. Squeezing his eyes shut for a few more seconds, he tried to open them again, but decided against it when he heard a door open.

Sounds like a body being dragged across a room sounded from in front of him, getting closer along with the sound of footsteps. The smell of burning flesh hit his nose, and he wrinkled it, feeling disgusted. After a while, the shuffling sounds stopped, followed by some metallic clanks and footsteps leaving the room, then the door closing.

Daring to peek, he realised that there was someone next to him. Making sure there wasn't anyone else, he tried turning to look, but was held in place by metal cuffs bolted to the wall.

He couldn't move any part of his body. Feeling doubtful, he vibrated his arms, hoping to pass through the metal, but the second he did it, strong electric currents were released and sent him back into the foggy line between conscious and unconsciousness.

At the back of his head, he heard a familiar voice, calling his name. He groaned in response, not sure if he was dreaming or not. 

The voice called his name again, this time louder and clearer. 

"Hmm...?" He managed to say.

"Barry! It that you?" It said, worry clouding its voice.

He tried to form a response, but his head was feeling unusually light and dizzy, and his vision blackening. What'd happened, Barry thought, before sinking back into darkness.

~

"I don't like this. Not, one, bit." Bruce grumbled under his breath, looking absolutely miserable in his sanitary worker outfit. "Why do you guys get to be the scientists?"

"Because there's less chance that people will recognise us. Therefore, the hat." Diana smiled in her lab coat, looking at the yellow cap on Bruce's head with amusement.

"It looks pretty cute on you." Clark snickered, pressing down on the cap. Hissing, Bruce swatted his hand away and scowled.

"Guys. The mission." Bruce reminded them for the hundredth time and called Alfred. "Are we close?"

"Just a few more steps; turn right at the end and the third door you see is the lab."

"Thanks." 

The rest of the journey continued in silence as the atmosphere became gradually stifling with anxiety. Their deafening heartbeats bounced off the walls, creating a booming effect which seems as if the walls were closing in on them.

After an eternity, they reached the door, plain and white, just like any other door in the faculty. 

Clark looked at Bruce for permission. He checked his heat sensors, then nodded. With a blast, the door exploded.

They inched inside, except for Bruce. Upon seeing the Phantom Zone projector, he made a beeline for it, and frowned.

"Strange. There's no one here guarding the projector. Where are they?"

"Your heat sensors didn't pick up anything?"

"No." Looking down at his arm, he checked it again. "Wait, there's-"

Before he could finish, something cold was pressed against his neck, and activated. The next thing he knew, he was lying numb on the floor, convulsing uncontrollably.

He came out before he could warn Bruce. Even when covered head to toe in a double layer of aluminium and lead suit, Clark could still recognise him. The maniacal laughter following only confirmed his doubts.

He yelled as he saw Bruce collapse. Diana was already on the move, reaching towards her waist for her lasso. 

Recovering from the surprise, Clark hurtled himself at Joker. But turns out that he had come extra prepared. Pulling out a piece of kryptonite at the last second, Clark had no time to change his course, and slammed straight into the green rock, sending the two crashing into the wall.

Failing to find her lasso, Diana yelled and charged at Joker, sword in hand. Before she could lash out, however, a rope appeared from nowhere, curled around her, causing her to trip and fall to the ground, her sword clattering away into the dark. Huffing in annoyance, she tried to break free, but couldn't. Looking down at the restrains, she found that it was her lasso holding her.

A smirking Cheetah appeared from behind and started to drag her away. As her yells fade down the corridor, Clark tried to stand up, despite kryptonite being mere inches away from his face.

"Ah ah ah... I don't think so!" The glowing green was picked up by a gloved hand, moving it closer to his face. A new wave of nausea hit him like a tidal wave, and he laid back down, the dizziness too much to handle.

With his vision turning sickeningly green, he fainted.

~

Clark awoke to a hammering headache. As he tried to wriggle around, he found that his hands were chained to the wall behind him. Realising that the chains has pieces of kryptonite slipped in between, he felt sick and started to sweat.

Bruce! The sudden thought jerked him back to his senses. Luckily, he could still move his head, and took in his surroundings. It was a lab of some sort, judging by the white backgrounds and the presence of numerous test tubes and machinery. Must be the lab that Jonn's mentioned. Straining to move his head, he saw all the other league members chained to adjacent walls. All of them are awake, except for Barry, who was struggling to stay up. And there's Bruce, chained to the opposing wall and still in his yellow worker suit. The side of his head was bleeding profusely, but he took no notice of it. Instead, his intense gaze was fixed on the centre of the room, where the phantom zone projector laid on a white table.

Upon seeing him, Bruce furrowed his brows, looking pointedly at the projector. Clark gave a small nod in response, confirming that it is the real one. 

Suddenly, the door burst open, and in walked Joker, rubbing his hands together in glee. 

"Well, well, weeeeell, my dear friends! SooOOOooo glad that you can all make it to the Joker's party tonight! Ho ho ho... You even get the VIP seats!"

Diana bellowed from somewhere in the corner. "No more tricks, Joker! What are you playing at?!"

Ignoring her, Joker took a once over of the room, and giggled. "Ooh! We have all the Justice League here!" His face fell as he turned around. "Well, almost all. Where is my dear Batsy?"

He saw Bruce, then grinned and strode towards him. Clark struggled against his bonds, desparate to break free. There's no telling what this maniac would do to Bruce.

Joker reached his target. "Brucie! What are you doing with these Supernerds?" Peering at his face, he frowned. "Aww, they ruined that pretty face of yours. Speaking of which..." He squished Bruce's face in between his hands. "You're Batsy's boyfriend, right? Do you know where he is? Can you call him for me?"

Bruce grunted. Joker grinned and gave his face one last squish, then backed out.

"Well, where is this gadget that you used to call him?"

Bruce's eyes flickered for a brief moment, and there, Clark saw a plan formulating. He looked at him for hints, but Bruce was too clever to give that away. 

"Trousers...right pocket..." Bruce managed to get out. 

"Aww, Brucie baby, you must be hurt pretty bad," Joker said, give his face a pat. "But don't worry! Once Batsy is here I'll let you go! Not that you're a hostage or anything."

Grinning, Joker put his hand into the pocket, and fished around for way too long. Finally getting what he needed: a small device resembling a phone, he held it up in the air and examined it.

Then, the bat signal popped up onto the screen. Chuckling, he punched it without hesitation, then threw the device back in the corner of the room.

"This'll call him, right?"

Bruce nodded.

Giggling, Joker rubbed his hands together, mumbling the words "Batsy" repeatedly. Clark did not want to know what was going on in his head right now.

After ten tedious minutes, an explosion rang out from the distance. As if summoned by the devils, Joker jumped to his feet, and arranged his bow tie, then waltzed out as he slung a hammer over his shoulder.

"Thank you so much, Brucie," he winked, "I'll let you out after Batsy's here."

The second Joker slammed the door shut, Barry snapped back into fully awake mode. "Why's Bruce Wayne here?"

Next to him, Hal peered at Bruce with a suspicious look on his face. "Who the hell's Bruce Wayne?"

At the corner of the room, Arthur stared at him. "I'll do you one better. This guy's dating Batman?"

Bruce heaved a sign and closed his eyes, ignoring the chatter.

A few moments passed in awkward silence. Out of nowhere, Clark had a thought.

"Hey Arthur. You can talk to fish, right?"

He received a hmph as response.

"Can you like...get them to break us out of here?"

"I tried. Cheetah ate them as soon as they left the waters, and I'm not going to risk sending Mera."

"Why?" Clark retorted, "She's perfectly capable of-"

Another explosion shut him up before he could finish. At that moment, every pair of eyes were trained on the door, as if waiting for some kind of saviour to barge through and rescue them all.

Except the saviour didn't come through the door. With a BANG, the ceiling collapsed, and three figures dropped in like a shadow.

As the dust cleared, the identities of the figures were made clear. The first one, Mera, with balls of swirling water bombs in her hands, her eyes still glowing blue from battle. Next to her stood Cyborg, who's obviously unprepared for the occasion. Remains of a headphone set still hung over his shoulders, and he seems to be having trouble turning on his guns.

Finally, was Batman's giant mech suit, which towered over them all. Standing at over 3 meters, it raised its arm, which slid open to reveal a pair of autos, and trained its red eyes at the door, ready to attack.

The entire league was stunned by this sudden appearance, except for Bruce, who looks completely bored. Joker came rushing back.

"Ah! My dear Batsy! I didn't know you'd be bringing company!" As if seeing an old friend, Joker strode towards the mech suit with wide, stretched arms. But there was nothing friendly about this. A second later, he swung the hammer at it.

A quick flash of red and green, and the hammer was caught in between Mera's hands. Joker gasped comically, then tried pulling it free of her iron clasp. "Not fair!" He yelled while letting go of the hammer, "This is between you and me, Batsy! No one else gets to interfere!"

The mech suit remained silent. Irritated, Joker gave it a good kick, then yowled as his feet hit the cold hard metal.

"You're not Batsy..." He mumbled, rubbing his sore feet, "Where is he?"

"That is a very good question." Mera said, hauling the Joker to his feet. "But it's none of your business."

Suddenly, Joker began to chuckle. Before anyone could shout out a warning, he swung around hit her jaw, sending her crashing backwards into the wall, causing a huge dent. Cyborg reacted, holding up his guns to fire. However, they were still offline, and only gave a smokey splutter before dying down. By then, Joker was already on him, and sent him to the wall with another punch.

Laughing at the others' horrified expressions, Joker approached the mech suit. Now, the secret of his super punches was revealed: an electric gauntlet hidden just below his purple sleeve.

"Prepare to die...whoever you are!" Laughing hysterically, he reeled back his arm for the final hit.

"Stop that! You...cowardly villain!" An overly-serious voice stopped Joker's punch mid-air. Groaning, he turned around. There, at the door, stood another figure: Batman.

Joker studied him for ten whole seconds. "You're not him! I know my Batsy when I see him!"

"Who I am doesn't matter." Batman said, who sounds like he was trying hard not to laugh, "You should be worrying about yourself."

With a yell, Joker charged at him, and knocked him off his feet with little resistance. He straddled him and reeled back his arm once again to strike.

"Ha ha! You didn't even touch me!"

Batman smiled. "Wasn't trying to."

"Wha-" Before he could register the information, a sharp blow to his neck knocked him off sideways, and he rolled onto the floor, blissfully unconscious.

Alfred stepped forward and grimaced at the sleeping clown, then hit him again with his broomstick just to make sure. Discarding the broom, he set about freeing the trapped league members, who were still rooted with disbelief.

Clark muttered a thanks as he broke his chains, rubbing at his sore wrists. That'll start to bruise tomorrow. Mustering all the strength he has, he moved over to Bruce and broke his chains. The second they broke, Bruce fell forward into his lap, and fluttered his eyes shut. He brushed a strand of hair free from his bloodied forehead, and kissed his cheek, not caring who saw him.

The thin rays of sunshine leaking in through the broken wall gave him back some of his strength. Then he saw Alfred nod at him. Receiving the message, he cradled Bruce in his arms and set off in the air, heading for Wayne manor.

Jonn limped out into the open, his body still smoking from burns. "Where is Clayface? And the others...?"

"We took care of them when we came in." Cyborg said, rushing to support him. "Don't worry, I'll take you back to the watchtower."

Barry and Hal stood at the corner, confused by everything that's going on.

"Did you see that kiss? He's cheating on Bats!"

"Speaking of which, where is Batman, anyways?"

"I don't know. Maybe he left us here to die."

"Hal. You know he'd never do that."

"Oh, I know! It's not yet evening, and he's a vampire, so-"

"No. How many times do I have to tell you..."

"No, Barry, the evidence is all there!"

"I know, you've told me hundreds of times."

"Then you know he's a vampire!"

Barry buried his face in his hands and groaned. "Hal..."

Arthur's chains broke with a crisp clang. As he massaged his wrists, Mera stormed over to him and slapped his face. Hard.

"You idiot!" She hissed under her breath, "you could have died!"

Taking on a goofy expression, Arthur scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Died? Me? The king of Atlantis? Never."

Mera huffed at his childish tone, but froze as he cupped her cheek, rubbing gently at the purple bruise on her jaw. 

She blushed and looked away. "It's not as bad as it seems."

"Right." Leaning forward, he kissed her softly on the cheek, then laughed at her flustered expression.

The moment was spoiled as the imposter Batman, now free of his cowl, tapped the hugging couple. Eagerly, he gave them his Batman notebook and a Superman pen.

"Can you please sign this? I'm a huge fan!"

Mera eyed him, while Arthur signed, chuckling at the notes written by the other heros. The wiggly handwriting was obviously from Hal, while another one was written so fast that the ink didn't even had time to come out. Barry. He nudged Mera. Frowning, she signed as well, but didn't write anything else.

"I've never seen you before...Who are you?" She asked, handing back the notebook.

"Oh, I'm Shazam! And, to be honest, I'm pretty new to this "superheroing" thing." He replied cheerfully. "It's so cool! I never thought it'd lead me to wearing one of Batman's suits."

He flipped open the notebook, and grinned at the newly added signatures. "Thank you so much! You guys are the best!" Saying a quick goodbye to Alfred, he shot up into the sky while yelling, "This is the best day ever!"

"Hmm." Mera contemplated for a brief while, then turned back to the others. "Who's that old guy who knocked out the Joker?"

"I dunno. Probably Batman's dad or something."

Back in the centre, Alfred picked up the phantom zone projector, and jumped back into the bat mech suit. Nodding at Diana, who's about to carry Joker back to Arkam, he flew the suit up, and zoomed away in a cloud of dust.

~

"One question, Alf. Why the broomstick?"

"I like to do it the old-fashioned way, sir."

"Also, Clark. Tell the others that I'm going to fire a selective few of them at the next meeting."

"Shut up, Bruce. You need rest."

"Whatever."

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you guys think! :3
> 
> Any corrections are also welcome as English is not my first language :)


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